Business C1 · Lesson 4B
Every word and expression from this lesson — with definitions, synonyms and examples.
flags a working premise the speaker knows is contestable — invites the other side to challenge it
a 'provided that' clause attached to an in-room act rather than a stated position
the four or five conditional forms a senior negotiator uses to keep a room open
the formal register for a low-probability but high-impact contingency
the death of a deal in the final week, after all material terms are agreed
the death of a deal in the final week for grammatical, not commercial, reasons
an impasse mistaken for a commercial one, caused by a narrow conditional vocabulary
the more formal, contractual sibling of 'provided that' — belongs in the memo, not the coffee break
signals a condition that, if met, converts a soft position into a firm one
a condition attached to a specific in-room act by the other side, not to an abstract state
a sentence that keeps a hard conversation viable rather than closing it prematurely
the paragraph a senior negotiator uses to signal willingness, resistance and the shape of an acceptable trade
a hedged future conditional ('should the numbers slip'), less committal than 'if'
a warmer variant of 'provided that' — used to signal willingness to move if a single condition holds
carries the same information as 'if… not', but foregrounds the disqualifier
the 'unless' sentence that names a disqualifier and, in the same breath, ratifies everything else
an inverted conditional that names the single factor holding a deal together — or apart